Max La Manna | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1989 |
| Occupation | Chef |
| Spouse | Venetia Falconer (m. 2019) |
Max La Manna (born April 18, 1989) [1] is an American plant-based chef and cookbook writer that advocates waste minimisation. [2] He has been described as bridging the gap between vegan food and waste-free cooking. [3]
La Manna became interested in cooking as a teenager at his father's restaurants in Connecticut. [3] As a young man he pursued a modelling career in New York City and Los Angeles where he also worked late nights at restaurants. [3] [4] At age 25, La Manna appeared on two episodes of Days of Our Lives . [5] By 2017 he became interested in veganism and a zero-waste lifestyle. [5]
He is a self-taught chef who promotes an affordable low-waste approach to cooking. [6] It is reported that La Manna has cut his own food waste down to "nearly zero". [7] La Manna's recipes have been featured in The Guardian , The Sunday Times , Vice , Vogue , and on the BBC. [3] [4] [8]
In 2020, his cookbook More Plants Less Waste was named the "Most Sustainable Cookbook" at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. [4] His 2023 cookbook You Can Cook This! has been described as "deliver[ing] simple vegan food with big flavour to keep things quick and easy" and was voted "World's Best Vegan Cookbook" at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. [9] La Manna has commented that his favourite ingredient to cook with is broccoli. [10] VegNews listed him as one of the "37 Creative Chefs Crafting the Future of Vegan Food" in 2023. [11] In 2024, Food & Wine named You Can Cook This!: Easy Vegan Recipes to Save Time, Money and Waste, one of "the 20 Best Vegan Cookbooks for Every Type of Meal." [12]
In 2023, La Manna no longer identifies as zero-waste and has stated that "zero-waste is impossible". [13] He describes himself as low-waste, especially in the kitchen. [13]
